The Very Hungry Caterpillar facts for kids
Front cover illustration
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| Author | Eric Carle |
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| Illustrator | Eric Carle |
| Cover artist | Derrick |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature (Children's picture book) |
| Publisher | World Publishing Company (US) Hamish Hamilton (UK) |
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Publication date
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June 3, 1969 |
| Media type | Hardcover, Board book |
| Pages | 22 |
| ISBN | 0-399-22690-7 (US) |
| OCLC | 21134403 |
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a famous children's book written and illustrated by American author Eric Carle. It is his most well-known book. The story has been translated into more than 50 different languages. Over 30 million copies have been sold around the world.
The book tells the story of a small caterpillar. This caterpillar eats a lot of food. It eats different kinds of food each day. Eventually, the caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly. The idea for the book came from a simple hole puncher.
Contents
About the Book
The Story of the Caterpillar
The book follows a tiny caterpillar. It hatches from an egg on a Sunday. The caterpillar is very hungry. Each day, it eats more and more food. On Monday, it eats one apple. On Tuesday, it eats two pears. It keeps eating through the week. It eats plums, strawberries, and oranges.
By Saturday, the caterpillar eats many different foods. These include cake, ice cream, and sausage. After eating so much, the caterpillar gets a stomach ache. On Sunday, it eats one green leaf. This makes it feel much better.
The caterpillar is no longer small. It is now a big, fat caterpillar. It builds a small house for itself. This house is called a cocoon. The caterpillar stays inside for more than two weeks. Then, something amazing happens. It pushes its way out of the cocoon. It has transformed into a beautiful butterfly.
How the Book Was Made
Eric Carle wrote and drew all the pictures for the book. He used a special art style. He created collages with painted tissue paper. This gave the illustrations a unique look. The book also has special cut-out holes. These holes show where the caterpillar ate through the food.
The idea for the story came from a hole puncher. Carle was punching holes in paper. He thought about a bookworm. His editor suggested a caterpillar instead. This led to the famous story we know today.
Its Popularity and Awards
The Very Hungry Caterpillar was first published on June 3, 1969. It quickly became a favorite. Many people around the world love this book. It helps children learn about numbers and days of the week. It also teaches them about the life cycle of a butterfly.
The book has received many honors. In 1969, The New York Times called it one of the "Ten Best Picture Books of the Year." In 2009, Google celebrated the book's 40th anniversary. They changed their main search page logo. The logo looked like the art style from the book. This showed how important the book is.
See also
In Spanish: La Pequeña Oruga Glotona para niños
